


Fili and Kili's Big European Road Trip

by HelAuditore, Phelpshobbit



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Europe, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Modern AU, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-15 15:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1309543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelAuditore/pseuds/HelAuditore, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phelpshobbit/pseuds/Phelpshobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When Kili is cooped up in one place for too long, he starts getting agitated. Proper full-of-nervous-energy, unable-to-keep-still, practically-clawing-at-the-windows type of agitated, like he has a desperate itch deep under his skin that he can’t scratch, or like the walls of their flat are closing in on him and he can’t quite breathe properly. </p><p>During those times, Fili will grab a couple of blankets, their camping stove and a few spare clothes, and he’ll dump them in the boot of their old Toyota Sedan. Then they’ll head off without a map book, simply driving until they get tired or they run out of petrol."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro - "Content"

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So Mari, Hel and I are currently doing a collab together - we pick a word, Mari draws a scene and either Hel or I write a fic to go with it. Hope you enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word: "Content"  
> Written by: allopoppet  
> Art by Phelpshobbit

When Kili is cooped up in one place for too long, he starts getting agitated. Proper full-of-nervous-energy, unable-to-keep-still, practically-clawing-at-the-windows type of agitated, like he has a desperate itch deep under his skin that he can’t scratch, or like the walls of their flat are closing in on him and he can’t quite breathe properly. Fili can always tell when he gets like this. His leg will bounce up and down with restless tension, he’ll start chewing at his nails, and he’ll never sit in one place for more than five minutes. He’s like a coil wound too tightly, waiting to spring at any moment.

During those times, Fili will grab a couple of blankets, their camping stove and a few spare clothes, and he’ll dump them in the boot of their old Toyota Sedan. Then they’ll head off without a map book, simply driving until they get tired or they run out of petrol.

This time they end up somewhere in the Lake District. Fili has always liked the country; he’s never really been one for the hustle and bustle of city life. He gets out of the car and stretches out his tired muscles, breathes in the fresh air, stares at the vast expanse of blue sky and rolling hills. Kili is like an exuberant puppy when he hops out of the passenger side, and Fili is half surprised that he doesn’t go gambolling off across the grass in excitement.

They spend the day just walking about. They wander along the lake edge and skip stones across the water like they used to do as kids, sending ripples across the glassy surface. They hike up the hillside and get mud caked over their boots and the bottoms of their jeans. They meander through the trees and Kili leaps up to catch hold of one of the branches, his hoodie and t-shirt riding up to reveal a strip of tanned skin – at least until the branch breaks and he comes crashing down with a yelp, managing to scrape the heels of both hands in the process. Fili just laughs and presses a chaste kiss against the injured skin, like their mother would do when they came home covered in scratches and bruises after playing out in the woods down the bottom of their garden. Kili swats at his head but smirks nonetheless.

That night, once they’ve eaten their fair share of sausages, bacon and roasted marshmallows, Kili flops out on the grass and lets out a content sigh. He looks up at Fili briefly and pats the ground beside him. Fili pushes himself off the log they’ve been using as a seat and flops down next to his brother.

“Thank you,” Kili says, shifting across to rest his head on his shoulder. Fili smiles and tugs lightly at his long, dark hair.

“S’alright.”

They lie there for what feels like hours, until the sky melts from blue, to burnt red and orange, to an inky black. There hasn’t been a single cloud all day, but now that the sun’s gone down it causes Fili to shiver as a chill wind blows across them. Kili curls up against him, looping an arm across his chest which makes Fili look down at him in fond amusement.

“What?” Kili replies with a shrug when he realises Fili’s watching him. “I’m cold. We’re sharing body heat.”

Fili chuckles and allows his younger brother to snuggle up closer to him, but hisses slightly when he feels cold fingertips brush against his neck. “Maybe we should get in the car or something.”

“Nah, I’m good here,” Kili mumbles back. Not two minutes later, there’s a steady tickle of air against Fili’s skin as Kili’s breathing evens out and he drifts off to sleep. He’s half tempted to wake him and force him into their make-shift bedroom in the back of the car, but decides against it and looks back up at the night sky instead.

The stars are just starting to come out, little pinpricks of light forming constellations above their heads. The fire in the pit further away from them has almost burnt out now, just a pile of smouldering ash and dying embers, smoke curling up towards the sky. Fili draws in a deep breath, his chest rising as his lungs expand and taking Kili’s arm with it.

He smiles, closes his eyes, and breathes out again.

 

* * *

 

                                                        


	2. Lancashire, England - "Paint"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word: "Paint"  
> Written by: allopoppet  
> Art by Phelpshobbit

They’re on a beach in Cornwall when Kili first suggests it.

“I think we should go away for a bit.”

Fili snorts and throws another rock into the sea as the waves crash and foam around their ankles. “I thought that was the whole point of these trips. To get away.”

“No, I mean we should make a proper holiday of it. Take a month out, go travel Europe for a bit or something.” The pile of sand in the gap between Kili’s outstretched legs grows bigger as he sculpts it into a mound. He looks up at Fili and shrugs, and although he might play it off, the pleading desperation in his eyes is pretty obvious. “What do you think?”

Fili sits back on his hands and hums, then scratches thoughtfully at his beard. “I’ll have to see if I can get the time off work.”

He barely has chance to think before there are arms thrown around his neck and he crashes to the ground with the sudden weight of his younger brother. Fili lets out a laugh and curls his arms around Kili’s back as they lie there in the sand. “Alright, alright! It’s not going to be any time soon, mind – we actually need a plan, plus some money would be pretty nice too.”

“That’s fine. I don’t care.”

They lie on the beach, discussing countries they want to visit and things they want to see until the sun begins to dip below the horizon, sending busts of pink and orange across the water.

Then, at the start of August, their road trip finally comes to life.

 

* * *

 

Two days before they leave for their first stop in Amsterdam, Kili stands in front of their knackered old Sedan with his hands on his hips, and he tilts his head to the side. “We need to do something about this.”

“Like what?” Fili asks as he wanders over with two bottles of beer. He passes one to Kili and they stand side by side as they observe the car.

“Liven her up a bit, show her some love,” Kili explains with a wave of his bottle, then he takes a gulp of beer. Fili hums to himself, before flashing a grin. Without another word, he ducks back into the apartment again and Kili is left to stand on the pavement and stare after him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. It takes Fili just under a minute to come back, and when he does he’s laden down with as many tubes of paint as he can carry. He lets them all spill out onto the pavement at Kili’s feet and grins up at him.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s all going to wash off in two seconds,” Kili says in mild amusement as Fili picks out a half-rolled tube of sunny yellow. The other man just shrugs and tosses the paint towards him.

“Then it washes off. You were the one that said you want to liven her up.” He squeezes out a dollop of orange onto a plastic palette that he brought with him, and before Kili can even ask where the paint brushes are, he dips his fingers into the paint and begins drawing a crude flower on the bonnet of the car. Kili watches in surprise for a moment, before he throws caution to the wind and sticks his whole hand in the yellow paint, the slaps it down onto the metal. Fili looks up at him and grins.

“Now you’re getting it!”

That’s how they spend their afternoon, drinking beer and covering the car with bright splodges of paint. At one stage Fili doubles over laughing and points out that Kili has paint all up his cheek, but groans when he notices a daub of bright blue in his blond hair, despite the fact that it’s been tied up in a ponytail all day.

Eventually, they stand back and admire their handiwork. Fili cocks his head and hums. “It still needs one more thing.”

Kili watches him as he grabs the palette and begins writing something out on the side of the car with his fingers. After a while he steps away with a proud grin. “There. What do you think?”

Kili comes around to join him and looks down at the new addition. The words read ‘ _F + K, Europe road trip 2k13’_ and next to that is a slightly wobbly heart drawn in red paint. He nods and beams. “It’s good.” Then he looks down at his paint-covered hands with a sigh. “But we’re going to be washing this shit off for months.”

He hears Fili’s devious snicker and before he can even register what’s going on, there’s suddenly a hand pressed flat against his chest and the unmistakable squelch of paint smeared into his grey t-shirt. When Fili pulls his arm away again, he leaves behind a perfect blue handprint in the material. For a moment, all Kili can do is gasp and stare with wide eyes. Then his lips twist into a wicked smirk as he glares at his brother.

“Oh, you are going to pay for that.”

Fili shrieks, actually  _shrieks_ , when Kili pulls up a green tube and squeezes hard. He turns tail and runs away from the onslaught of paint as Kili chases after him around the car, yelling, “Come back here, you shit!”

That night, they take a bath and gently wash the paint off each other’s bodies. Over the next couple of days they check and double check that everything is prepared for this journey, until finally Monday morning rolls around. After months and month of planning and saving, it’s finally here – they barely throw home a backwards glance as they set off for their first destination.

 

* * *

 

                                                         


	3. Lokeren, Belgium - "Tiger"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word: "Tiger"  
> Written by: allopoppet  
> Art by Phelpshobbit

The journey from their home in the North of England to their first stop in Amsterdam takes just under half a day – that’s nine hours behind the wheel, not even counting the ferry from Dover to Calais part way through. They split the journey in half: Kili drives from their flat down to the port and Fili does the European side.

Despite the fact that they’re both exhausted from the early start, the trip begins well. The sun is up, the sky is blue, there’s nary a cloud to be seen, and the boys can’t help but be in high spirits. Kili drives with the windows down, so that the wind rushes through the car and sends his hair wild, although Fili pulls his hoodie tighter around himself and complains that he’s cold. They both sing along to whatever song bursts out of the radio, and any lyrics they don’t know, they make up.

However, once they cross into mainland Europe, things start to go a little downhill.

Fili leans forward and frowns in trepidation at the dark clouds currently rolling towards them as they cruise along the motorway towards the Belgian border. “Looks like it’s going to start pissing it down soon.”

“Ah, it’ll be fine.” Kili, ever the optimist, barely gives the clouds a passing glance as he fishes a few M&Ms out of the bag, then throws them into the air one by one as he attempts to catch them in his mouth. They’re not even an hour into Belgium when the heavens finally open.

The rain is torrential, completely covering the windshield in rivulets of water even with the wipers going at full speed, and it’s difficult to keep the car going in a straight line as the wind buffets at it with terrifying force. Eventually Fili admits defeat and pulls off the motorway towards the nearest town for shelter – god knows they’re not getting themselves killed before the trip has even begun.

They end up in on the outskirts of a place called Lokeren, which Kili only recognises from hours spent playing Football Manager. It’s as good a place as any to stop for lunch. They pull into a near-by car park and Kili climbs into the back to pull a plastic bag of food out of the boot. Once he’s back in the passenger’s seat, he stretches his legs out across Fili’s lap, and they sit companionably as they eat sandwiches and crisps and wait for the storm to blow over.

After about ten minutes, Kili leans forward to look at something out of Fili’s window. His eyes widen in sympathy as he breathes out, “Aw, poor thing.”

“What are you talking about?” Fili asks, twisting to look out of the fogged-up glass at the street beside them. However, before he can even clap eyes on whatever Kili is looking at, the other man suddenly pulls himself upright and throws open the car door, then runs out into the rain. “Kili, wait!”

With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Fili snatches up the blue golf umbrella that they keep under the back seat, then braces himself for the downpour as he goes to find his idiot of a younger brother. The rain is icy, lashing down fast and heavy, and Fili squints in some desperate attempt to see Kili past the wall of water. He’s further down the road, crouched down in front of something that Fili can’t quite make out, so he huffs and walks over to join them.

Kili is soaked, rainwater dripping down his hair and face despite the fact that his hood is up, however he doesn’t seem to care. In front of him is a large, shaggy dog, reddish-brown in colour with visible black markings across the back of its fur. Fili tilts his head to the side and sighs.

“You ran out here for a dog?”

“Aw, Fee, look at him,” Kili whines, turning to stare at him, and suddenly Fili has two sets of puppy eyes to deal with. Kili turns back to the dog and scratches at his neck, while the creature places one paw on Kili’s thighs as he wags his tail and pants happily. “What do you reckon he’s doing out here all alone?”

“He might’ve run off. Maybe his owners are looking for him.” Fili looks around as if expecting some frantic Belgians to run over to them at any moment. Kili looks up at him again, eyes wide and imploring.

“What if he doesn’t have any owners?”

Fili rolls his eyes. “We’re not keeping the dog.”

“But he’s all cold and lonely…”

“ _Kili_.” Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, Fili lets out his breath in one long exhale, then looks up at his brother again. “Come on, someone’s probably looking for him right now. Anyway, we need to get going if we want to make it to Amsterdam before it gets dark.”

Kili hums sadly and tilts his head up towards the sky. The rain is beginning to let up, a patch of blue sky just peeking through between the dark clouds. With one final ruffle of the dog’s dripping fur, Kili stands up again and joins Fili under the umbrella. They walk back to the car in silence.

Just as they’re getting ready to leave again, Kili glances out of the window and suddenly his maudlin appearance brightens. He presses a hand against the glass as a smile tugs at his lips. “Fee, look.”

Outside, a young girl hugs the dog while her mother looks on in relieved delight. Together the brothers watch the mother and daughter walk the dog back down the street, while the rain lessens until it’s just a light shower. Kili settles back into his seat, looking much happier than he was two minutes ago, then shoots Fili a smirk.

“What are you waiting for? To Amsterdam, Jeeves.”

Fili laughs as he puts the car into reverse and starts backing out of the parking space. “I should just leave you here, seriously. You can go live with the dog.”

 

* * *

 

 

                                                        


	4. Amsterdam, the Netherlands - "Bottle"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word: "Bottle"  
> Written by: HelAuditore  
> Art by Phelpshobbit

When Fili and Kili reach Amsterdam that afternoon, no matter what exhaustion the younger boy is feeling, he all but sprints out of the car with wide eyes and a huge grin pulling at his lips as he takes everything in. The city is colourful, alive and it looks like one of those places you'd gladly settle down in. He watches a few people passing by as they ride their bicycles, then spots a big, fluffy ginger cat lazily stepping into a pub and, instead of being thrown out, it jumps up on a stool, yawns, stretches and curls up in a ball for a long nap.  
  
"Mm, that looks like a great idea," Fili comments as he looks at the sleeping cat, unable to bite back a yawn.  
  
"Like fuck we're going to sleep right now, we just got here!" Kili smirks as he tugs on his brother's ponytail, enjoying the annoyed groan and small shove he earns from him.  
  
The rest of the day goes by with the aid of food, a ridiculous amount of coffee and at night, as distraught as their mother could be if she'd found out, good weed and equally good alcohol.  
  
The brothers settle for a small, cozy looking pub, one of those with a cat elegantly padding around and asking for cuddles and food with the typical persuasion of felines.

Kili is on his second lager when he finally convinces the annoyed looking tabby cat to lie in his lap and give in to his cuddles, when a man turns to take a good look at them and speaks up.  
   
Fili doesn’t really appreciate the way in which the man is eyeing his brother, but after a few slurred sentences in a poorly pronounced English and the beginning of a tale about mermaids ( _"You see, I'm from Copenhagen, I saw a real mermaid once!"_ ) Fili spots the huge blunt that the stranger keeps between his index and middle finger and everything becomes clear.  
  
The man offers them some of his weed that Fili would have refused, had his brother not been quicker to accept with a charming smile and a wink that makes Fili stand up and walk to the bar to order a vodka lemon as his gut twists painfully with jealousy.  
  
Once the blond comes back to their table, the man is gone and Kili has stuffed the small block of weed into the inner pocket of his leather jacket before going back to nurse his lukewarm beer.  
  
"Where's your friend?" Fili asks as he sits down and reaches his free hand out to pet the cat that’s still purring into Kili's lap.  
  
Kili shrugs a shoulder. "He's not my friend, and he went home," he explains a moment before he glues his lips to the bottle to take a swig – it’s then that it dawns on him: Fili is jealous and it’s as ridiculous as it is endearing. Kili can't help the laugh that erupts from his throat as he looks up at his brother.  
  
Fili furrows his brows as he stares at him. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You are," Kili smirks, before the tip of his tongue peeks out of his mouth to casually flick at the rim of the bottle. "You and your jealousy." Just as he says that, the cat hops off his lap, making him groan in disappointment.  
  
Fili tenses up, eyes quickly going back to his cocktail as he mutters almost under his breath. "Fuck off, I'm not jealous."  
  
Kili laughs again. "You can't be jealous of a high man who was talking about mermaids and deconsecrated churches!"  
  
Fili blinks in confusion, his teeth casually picking at one of his lip rings. "Deconsecrated churches? What?"  
  
Kili takes a sip of lager, then puts the bottle back down. "When you went up to the counter he told me about this deconsecrated church that's been turned into a disco," he says. His thumb begins to slowly rub up and down the neck of the bottle in a much too suggestive way that has Fili clenching his jaw. "I think it rather fits us, doesn't it?" One of his dark eyebrows quirk up and the tip of his thumb slips into the opening of the bottle.  
  
Before Fili can snort in pretend obliviousness, he swallows thickly and briefly averts his gaze from Kili's. "What, a disco?" He gulps down some of his booze, then hears Kili snort.  
  
"Being kinda blasphemous." Kili licks his lips, then pulls out from behind his ear a joint that he’d prepared God knows when. He reaches into Fili's jeans pocket to pull a lighter out.  
  
"Shut up, there are people here..." Fili hisses, the crotch of his pants suddenly uncomfortable as he watches his little brother lighting up the joint after the second try.  
  
"They all speak Dutch, for fuck's sake!" Kili laughs before inhaling a deep drag of weed.  
  
Fili rolls his eyes "Well your friend spoke English, I'm pretty sure loads of other people do, too."  
  
Kili pulls a face as he exhales. "Shit, this stuff's heavy," he says, out of breath, then chuckles. Fili purses his lips and cocked his head.

"Easy, then," he sighs and shakes his head as he goes back to his cocktail.  
  
Kili inflates his cheeks, pouting, and glares at his brother from underneath his creased eyebrows. "Why are you being like this?" he sighs, then knocked back the rest of his beer after a generous puff of weed.  
  
Fili's brow quirked up. "Like wha–?" The blond chokes on his own spit when he turns to find Kili's tongue twirling around the rim of the bottle. "Are you done licking that? God knows where those bottles have been!" Fili hisses, trying to gain back his cool despite the soft flush on his cheekbones.  
  
"But you do know where my tongue's been," Kili replies with the sort of grin that Fili will gladly either punch or kiss off his face, "don't you?"

He takes another drag of his joint, then places it into the ashtray on the corner of the table. Fili wants to reply, he really does; the only issue is that the blood that’s meant to fuel his brain has suddenly rushed down to his groin the moment he sees Kili's lips wrapping around the rim of the bottle, his fist clenching tightly around the now warm glass as his head slowly bobs up and down, huge pupils staring into blue eyes.  
  
"L-let's go back to the hostel," Fili mutters all of a sudden as he tries to snatch the bottle from his brother's hand, however it only serves for the glass to bump into Kili's front teeth.  
  
"Ow! You arse!" Kili grimaces as he pressed his fingers against his mouth.  
  
Fili's first instinct is to reach out and cup Kili's chin to check for any chipped teeth. "That's what you get for being drunk and high."  
  
Kili pushs Fili's hand away. "'m not high," he mutters as he set the bottle aside. "Or maybe I am a bit..."  
  
Fili raises both eyebrows with a nod. "That's why you need to lie down."  
  
Kili snorts. "You just want me to suck _you_ off instead of the bottle."  
  
Fili's eyes widen and je blurts out an "I do not!" as he looks around to see if anyone is listening to them, but everyone else is just minding their own business, so he goes on. "Maybe... But don't throw up all over me," he nearly whispers with a smirk.  
  
"I know you too well!" Kili laughs with his head thrown back as he slaps his hand on the table. Fili rolls his eyes, then tugs softly on Kili's septum piercing.

"C'mon, let's go."  
  
Kili scrunches his nose and stands up on wobbly legs after Fili, almost losing his balance as he takes a couple steps towards the door – he ends up having to hold onto Fili's shoulders for support, the now burnt out joint completely forgotten into the ashtray. Fili promptly catches him, then smirks. "Yeah, you're not gonna be able to do anything to me, nor any bottle."  
  
Kili raises his brows. "Oh I'll blow you," he nods, then points at Fili and at something on Fili's left. "Both of you!"  
  
Fili bursts out laughing and shakes his head as he escorts his brother outside. "Of course you will," he says, then wraps an arm around Kili's waist and presses a kiss to his temple. Kili smiles softly and lets his eyes fall shut for a moment before looping his arm around Fili's neck.

"Maybe I'll wake you up with my lovely mouth."  
  
"Maybe you will," Fili nods and begins walking back to the hostel, trying to keep Kili steady – he knows it’s probably going to take forever as they kept stumbling and stopping, and unless Kili falls asleep the moment he hits the mattress, it’s going to be a long, long night. Still, he wouldn't want it any other way.

 

* * *

 

                                            


	5. Copenhagen, Denmark - "Mermaid"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word: "Mermaid"  
> Written by: allopoppet  
> Art by Phelpshobbit

Their brief two-night spell in Amsterdam goes by in a haze of booze and decent weed (although Fili does insist that they check out the Anne Frank house, the Portuguese Synagogue and the flea market during the day time). Then they pack up their bags, say  _‘afscheid’_ to Amsterdam, and continue onto their next destination – Copenhagen.

They arrive by Tuesday lunch time, after splitting up the eight hour drive with a night’s rest in Hamburg. It’s a gorgeous day – the sky is a brilliant blue and the sun shines bright, sending fractures of light dancing off the water and making the colourful buildings glow.

Fili’s camera doesn’t leave his hands all day.

He takes photos of everything: the row of multi-coloured houses and bobbing boats at Nyhavn, the City Hall, the clusters of bicycles on every street corner, the hustle and bustle of people as they cycle or walk past. He doesn’t stop smiling for a second, and that only makes Kili grin so hard he fears his face might split.

He also insists on taking multiple pictures of his younger brother, standing beside famous landmarks. Sometimes Kili obeys, hands in his pockets and throwing him one of those infamous sunny smiles, trying not to wince as the sunlight gets in his eyes. Other times he pulls ridiculous faces, or poses in overdramatic stances; leg cocked, hand on hip, pouting for the camera, just to see Fili roll his eyes and laugh. Afterwards he’ll punch Kili’s arm and tell him he’s a shit, but it’s said with a playful glint in his eye.

The only trouble is, they don’t have any photos of Fili. He often prefers to be behind the camera whereas Kili flourishes in front of the lens, which works well usually, however now Kili wants to capture every moment they share together on this trip and it’s a little difficult when Fili is refusing to give up his role as cameraman.

“Come  _on_ , Fee, just ask her,” Kili whines, nodding towards a young woman wearing several long, beaded necklaces as she hovers close by. Fili considers it for a minute, then stops and shakes his head.

“Nah, I don’t want to disturb her,” he replies, then takes drink from the water bottle they grabbed at a corner shop. Kili throws his head back and groans.

“Just  _one_  photo. That’s all I ask.  _One_  photo of the two of us together.”

“Alright, alright!” Fili waves his hand dismissively, signalling an end of the conversation. That’s probably about as close to a promise as Kili is ever going to get, so he drops it, choosing instead to steal the water bottle out of Fili’s hands and taking a sip despite Fili’s protests.

It’s not until later on that Kili gets his request. They’re at the mermaid statue, waiting their turn to take a picture with it as a gaggle of tourists surge forward, all desperate to do the same thing. Kili cocks his head to the side and frowns at the bronze statue.

“It’s smaller than I thought it’d be.”

“Most things are. Apparently the Mona Lisa is tiny,” Fili replies, fiddling about with his camera settings. Kili hums thoughtfully.

“I dunno – sometimes things are bigger than expected.”

Fili glances up then and throws him a withering look, and Kili pokes his tongue between his teeth as he grins devilishly back. Once there’s a free gap, Fili lifts the camera and nods towards the statue.

“Go on then, now’s our chance.”

“Hold on.” Before Fili even has chance to consider it, Kili moves forward and taps a middle-aged woman on the arm. She turns on the spot to look at him, smiling pleasantly, and Kili reaches to grab Fili’s camera out of his hands and holds it towards her. “Could you take a photo of us, please?”

Her English clearly isn’t the best, but she gets the gist. With an enthusiastic nod and something in a language Kili doesn’t understand, she takes the camera and lifts it to her face. Kili drags Fili into place, ignoring his slightly nervous expression at having his precious baby in the hands of a stranger.

That’s when Fili does something totally unexpected. Clearly resigned to the fact that he’s having his photo taken whether he likes it or not, he loops an arm around Kili’s shoulders, then leans in to kiss him on the cheek. It’s so out of the blue that Kili can’t help but turn towards him slightly, eyes wide and grin so big it hurts his cheeks. The click and whirr of the camera goes off, then Fili lets him go and offers him a shy smile, before walking over to the woman again.

She hands the camera back with a warm beam and says something that, although they can’t understand, makes both of them smile back nonetheless. They offer their thanks and head away from the statue again.

Kili loops his arm through Fili’s and squeezes. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Fili chuckles and shakes his head as he looks down at the photo of them on the display screen. “I guess not.”

 

* * *

 

 

                                                       


End file.
